Oxford Law Online Style, Citation, and Template GuideOct -07

OXFORD LAWONLINE

STYLE,CITATION, AND TEMPLATE GUIDE

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1Introduction

1.1Oxford Law online

1.2Aims of this document

1.3To comment on this document

2Oxford Law online editorial style

2.1House style in an online context

2.2Consistent style across all Oxford Law online services

3Writing for online publication

3.1Design the content for online publication

3.2Write discrete, concise, highly structured text

3.3Support users with different interest levels

3.4Aim for the hallmarks of strong writing

4Acceptable language

4.1Clear, concise, and logical

4.2Avoid parochial references

4.3Avoid offensive language

4.4Use the past tense

PART 2: STYLE GUIDE

5British style

6Spelling and hyphenation

7Punctuating text

8Quotations

8.1Quotation marks

8.2Displayed quotations

8.3Quoting verbatim

8.4Punctuating quotations

8.5Omissions from quotations

9Capitalization

10Italics

11Numbers

11.1Words and figures

11.2Number Ranges

12Dates

13Abbreviations

13.1Define abbreviations

13.2No full points in abbreviations

13.3Months of the year

14Attributions to judges

15Links to other Internet websites

16Names of countries and other jurisdictions

17Foreign names

18Description of the parties

PART 3: CITATION GUIDE

19Introduction

20Oxford Law Citator

20.1Marking citations for the Oxford Law Citator

20.1.1 Asterisks

20.1.2 Underlining

20.2Link Types

21Formulating a full case citation

21.1Party Names, Re, Ex Parte, etc

21.2Anonymous and non-existent party names

21.3Procedural stages in the citation

22Incomplete and uncertain citations: [need full cite] and [review cite]

23When to use full and abbreviated citations

23.1First mention

23.2Repeated mentions

23.2.2 Excluding references

24Punctuating citations

24Parallel citations

25Pinpoint citations

26Citation of domestic cases

27Citation of international cases and decisions

28Citation of arbitral awards

29Citation of treaties (bilateral/multilateral) and other international instruments

29.1Treaties

29.2International instruments

30Citation of constitutions and domestic legislation

31Citation of legal commentary and secondary sources

PART 4: HOW TO COMPLETE THE OXFORD LAW ONLINE CASE HEADNOTE TEMPLATE

32Some general points on the template

32.1Fields and field names

32.2Order of the fields in the template

32.3Do not amend the template

32.4Mandatory vs optional fields

‘IIC only’ fields

33Field-by-field guidance

33.1Fields for OUP use only

33.2Type - MANDATORY

33.3Citations - MANDATORY

33.4Case name - MANDATORY

33.5Other case name

33.6Date - MANDATORY

33.7Date of despatch to parties

33.8Governing law - MANDATORY

33.10Seat of arbitration - MANDATORY

33.11Judges/Arbitrators - MANDATORY

33.12Counsel for Party 1 - MANDATORY

33.13Counsel for Party 2 - MANDATORY

33.14Arbitral rules - MANDATORY

33.16Previous stages

33.17Subsequent stages

33.18Related developments

33.19Key subjects - MANDATORY

33.20Keywords - MANDATORY

33.21Core issue(s) - MANDATORY

33.22Facts - MANDATORY

33.23Held - MANDATORY

33.24Commentary

33.25Further commentary

33.26Instruments cited

33.27Cases cited

33.28Reporter - MANDATORY

33.29Reporter date - MANDATORY

33.30Commentator

33.31Commentary date

NOTE– this guide comes with a health warning! It is a work in progress.

In particular, the examples given need further work, and should not be relied upon as a true application of Oxford Law online citation and style rules.

Unfinished sections/examples are highlighted in yellow in this version. Sections which are specific to a particular module are highlighted in blue (Investment Claims) or green (ILDC) – these will be drawn out into module-specific annexes in due course. Cross references between sections of this document and sections in the Oxford Law online Style and Citation Guide will be added before this document is finalised. Your comments on/criticisms of this document are very welcome at this stage.

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

1Introduction

1.1Oxford Law online

Oxford University Press (OUP) is developing a portfolio of online services for the legal market, under the Oxford Law brand. An ambitious development programme for Oxford Law online services is planned for the next few years and all resulting services will use a common Style and Citation guide.

The first services to be launched are in the area of international law. They are:

Oxford Reports on International Law (ORIL), which is a ‘horizontal’ case reporting service made up of 5 modules:

  • International Courts of General Jurisdiction (ICGJ)
  • International Criminal Law (ICL)
  • International Human Rights Law (IHRL)
  • International Investment Claims (IIC) and
  • International Law in Domestic Courts (ILDC)

Investment Claims (IC), which is a ‘vertical’ service aimed at those involved in the conduct of investor-State arbitrations, containing both case law and non-case law content; and

The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law (EPIL), which is an A-Z reference service covering the breadth of Public International Law subject matter.

1.2Aims of this document

This document details the House Style and Citation Rules applicable to Oxford Law online services, and is essential reading for Reporters, Editors, and in-house staff involved both in the creation of content, and in its preparation for online publication.

The overall aim is to provide consistent rules to apply across all Oxford Law online services. OUP does accept that there will be some style/citation requirements that are specific to one service only, due to the differing needs of users of each service and the specifics of the included content, and thereforethis document also aims to capture those particular service-specific requirements. Finally, this document aims to provide examples to assist understanding of the correct style/citation format and of the different requirements of content for each Oxford Law online service where appropriate.

1.3To comment on this document

This document is by necessity a work in progress, and will be updated and enhanced as more specific instructions become clear and are adopted. If you have any comments on this document, please do let us know. The best way is to choose the contact appropriate to your role from the list below:

  • IIC Reporters: Contact Harriet Mancey-Barratt, Assistant Commissioning Editor, OUP, , tel: +44 (0) 207 616 5530
  • ILDC Reporters: Contact Edda Kristjansdottir, Managing Editor, ILDC, University of Amsterdam,
  • Copy Editors: Contact Kate Bailey, Oxford Law online Production Editor, OUP, , tel: +44 (0) 1865 354076
  • All other reporters and editors: Contact Rajika Shah, Development Editor, OUP, , tel: +44 (0) 1865 354754

Or contact us via OUP reception on +44 (0) 1865 556767.

2Oxford Law onlineeditorial style

‘Editorial style’ is a set of conventions that controls the presentation of text. A style decision is needed in any case where there is more than one possible way to formulate a particular word or entity. ‘House style’ is that set of conventions adopted by a particular publishing house or imprint.

2.1House style in an online context

House style takes on a new importance in online publishing, as it is only by following uniform, predictable rules that it is possible to present users with consistent, reliable data that is discoverable– ie that can be:

  • quickly located via an online search,
  • easily found by those browsing the content in a logical and methodicalway, and
  • properly linked and cross-referenced using hypertext and citators.

It is essential to follow the rules in this document when preparing content for inclusion in Oxford Law online services.

2.2Consistent style across all Oxford Law online services

Oxford Law online content is, of course, subject to review and editing by a number of different people before it is published, but it is important that people at every stage of the writing and publishing process work to the same set of rules.Reporters and editors alike shouldfocus at all times on achieving consistency and adherence toOxford Law online house style in everything that they submit, from the very first draft to the final pre-publication copy edit, thus saving time and unnecessary corrections during production.It is only in this way that an online service can publish content quickly enough to satisfy user expectations and become a success.

3Writing for online publication

3.1Design the content for online publication

Please always remember that content submitted for Oxford Law online services is for online publication. The online reading environment is so different from print, and the online research environment is so different from a print library, that traditional printed content is not well-suited for delivery in online products. Instead, online products need content that has been designed from the start with the online information experience in mind.

3.2Write discrete, concise, highly structured text

The non-physical nature of the online environment favours content that is discrete, concise, non-linear, and highly structured. Navigation is by links to referenced information, which may be located in other products.Concise text provides less information to process. Ideally, a sentence will have no more than twenty words, and a paragraph will have no more than six sentences; however, non-conforming text may be excused if conforming would prevent clear, complete, or accurate explication.

3.3Support users with different interest levels

Oxford Law onlineweb pages are designed to simultaneously support users with different interest levels:

  • Providing Keywords will help users with no interest to avoid the page entirely by excluding it from search results;
  • The one-sentence Core Issue assists filtering by those with lower interest levels, or helps them determine their level of interest.
  • Those with detailed interest are assisted by the writing style itself, which should be clear and direct.
  • A thirst for more information is satisfied by providing a rich set of links to additional information, and by providing Citator information through the Oxford Law Citator (see section 20 below), rather than by overloading the document itself.

3.4Aim for the hallmarks of strong writing

The familiar and traditional hallmarks of strong writing are therefore even more important in an online environment.Ensure that you are aiming for:

  • logical organization
  • active voice
  • descriptive nouns and verbs
  • conciseness

4Acceptable language

While not strictly a matter of house style, this is a convenient point at which to draw attention to issues of language.

4.1Clear, concise, and logical

Before submitting the headnote, read it over carefully to ensure that it is as clear and concise as possible. Edit out repetition and make sure that the sentences unfold logically.

4.2Avoid parochial references

OUP’s publications have an international readership. Avoid parochial references to ‘this country’, ‘our legal system’, etc, and take all reasonable steps to identify people, places, institutions, and other entities that may be puzzling to readers from outside your country and/or your intended readership.

4.3Avoid offensive language

Please make every effort to avoid any form of language or expression that might be interpreted by a reader as racist or sexist, derogatory of a particular religion or creed, or otherwise offensive. The gender-specific pronouns ‘he’, ‘his’, ‘him’ should be avoided in any reference relevant to males and females; to achieve this, pluralize the reference, repeat the noun, use the passive voice, or use both pronoun forms (though the last solution is clumsy and undesirable for more than occasional use).

4.4Use the past tense

When reporting decisions, remember that your report will remain online long after the events about which you are writing have passed. In an online environment users expect content to be up-to-date, and will often assume that a headnote which states that ‘the law in relation to x is y’ is still accurate, although the law may have changed since the report was written.

To avoid reports becoming quickly dated and even misleading to future readers, use the past tense (‘it was clear that the law in relation to x was y’).
PART 2: STYLE GUIDE

5British style

Please note that Oxford Law onlinegenerally employs British idioms, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation.

6Spelling and hyphenation

Oxford Law online uses the ending ‘-ize’ / ‘-ization’ / ‘-izing in words where this alternative is available in British English. Note that ‘z’ may not be substituted for ‘s’ in words ending ‘-yse’ (‘analyse’, ‘paralyse’). A good dictionary, such as the most recent edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, the Oxford Dictionary of English, or the Oxford Spelling Dictionary provides the best means of ensuring consistent treatment of spelling and hyphenation. If you are not able to access a print version, the Compact Oxford English Dictionary can be found online at

Use one of the Oxford dictionaries listed above to determine whether two elements should be hyphenated, run together, or set as single words (‘short-lived’, ‘layout’, ‘common sense’). Words with prefixes are usually written without hyphens (‘predetermine’, ‘multinational’), unless there is a collision of vowels or consonants (‘anti-intellectual’, ‘pre-eminent’). Note, however, that, notwithstanding the doubled ‘o’, the words ‘cooperate’ and ‘coordinate’ are usually spelt without a hyphen.

Dashes should follow closed up em rules. Do not include a space either before or after the dash, which should be long ‘—’ rather than short ‘-’: Going—going—gone!

7Punctuating text

A hallmark of OUP’s house style is the serial comma, the comma before ‘and’ or ‘or’ in lists of three or more items: ‘red, white, and blue’, ‘feminine, masculine, or neuter’.

Use three full points spaced from each other and from the words either side to indicate matter omitted from a quotation. An extra full point to indicate the end of a sentence before or after the ellipsis is optional: it is generally easier to omit it.

Abbreviations, contractions, and initials should not be given full points (see more on abbreviations below).

8Quotations

8.1Quotation marks

OUP favours single quotation marks, reserving double ones for quoted matter within a quotation; eg ‘The distinction between “academic” and “practitioner” texts is critical in legal publishing.’

8.2Displayed quotations

Incorporate quotations of three lines or less into the text, within single quotation marks. Longer quotations should generally be referenced via a citation,or in the case of a quote from a judgment, via a link to the source text, rather than by wholesale extraction of the quote into the body of theheadnote.

In the exceptional instance when inclusion of a longer quotation is appropriate, it should be made into a displayed quotation. Separate the quotation from the text by a line space above and below, and indent both the right and left margins.Quotations marks are not used around displayed quotations.

8.3Quoting verbatim

Quotations from other works, judgments, statutes, etc must be faithful to the original, except where it is necessary to change quotation marks from single to double, or vice versa. Do not change errors in the original, but instead use [sic].

8.4Punctuating quotations

Quotations within short quotations take double quotation marks. Punctuation follows the closing quotation mark, unless it is part of the quotation.

Generally, use a colon to introduce a long quotation. However, when the lead-in moves seamlessly into the quoted material a comma or no punctuation may be preferable. Begin with an ellipsis ( . . . ) when a quotation starts mid-sentence.

8.5Omissions from quotations

Indicate omissions from a quotation with an ellipsis, and any change of emphasis in a parenthetical clause after the citation by use of ‘(emphasis added)’. If you omit citations or footnotes from a quotation, put ‘(citation(s) omitted)’ or ‘(footnote(s) omitted)’ after the source.

9Capitalization

In general, besides proper nouns, use capital initials for the full and abbreviated formal names of courts, institutions, organizations, buildings, official documents, and the like, but do not use them for common nouns. When referencing court documents or items listed in court documents, please follow the style of capitalization used in those documents. Beyond this, the use of capital initials should be kept to a minimum, both in text and in headings.

10Italics

In open text italics are used for foreign words and terms unless these have become accepted usage, in which case use roman type; so general Latin abbreviations, such as ‘ibid’ and ‘cf’, are not italicized, though sic, passim, and c (circa) are. The New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors offers guidance on the use of italics generally.

This principle applies to specialist usage too. In legal publishing ultra vires, de facto, and interalia all appear in roman, while more specialized legal terms are given in italic.

Italics are also used for the titles of books, journals, works of art, films, and some other kinds of self-contained works. Note, however, that the titles of all law reports and reviews (as well as their abbreviations) are set in roman.

11Numbers

11.1Words and figures

Spell out numbers up to and including nine and use figures from 10 onwards. There are exceptions to the use both of words and figures:

  • use figures for numbered sections of a document: ‘Article 5 of the treaty’
  • use figures for units of measure: ‘30 kilometres’
  • use figures for dates: ‘9 September 2001’
  • use figures for people’s ages: ‘she was 58 years old’
  • use words at the beginning of a sentence: ‘Two hundred and fifty gold bars were stolen.’
  • use words for approximate numbers: ‘At least a thousand people were present.’
  • use a mixture of figures and words for round numbers of a million or more: ‘£8.5 million’

11.2NumberRanges

Avoid the use of number rangeswhen citing case law or legislative or treaty provisions, whether in the body text or a citation. This is because each provision within a number range will require a separate link to the Oxford Law Citator. Rather than citing the range (eg,‘sections 2 to 5’), you should list each provision (‘sections 2, 3,4,and 5’) separated by commas, and apply Oxford Law Citator mark-up to each provision individually (see section 20 below), to denote that separate links are to be included to each provision.

When listinga number range where a link to the Oxford Law Citator would not be appropriate, omit as many digits as possible, except for digits in (or ending with) the group 10 to 19: She worked at 25-6 Sidney Street; 100-2; 10-11; 118-19. Do not elide figures when a range of years is referred to crossing between centuries: 1820-1910. Closed up en rules must be used for date ranges and elided numbers. Do not include a space either before or after the dash, which should be short ‘-’ rather than long ‘—’.

12Dates

In British style, dates are formulated with two-digit day, two-digit month, and four-digit year, without commas: 11 November 1918. Please do not abbreviate months of the year, including in citations.

13Abbreviations

13.1Define abbreviations

Avoid unfamiliar abbreviations and define any that you use in the text. You need not define an abbreviation that is part of everyday usage (eg, ‘eg’ or ‘etc’). Every lawyer can also be taken to know some additional abbreviations. For tables of common abbreviations that need no definition, see Appendices 1-3 at the back of the full OSCOLA guide, beginning on p 38.